Vegetarian, Sustainable, Frugal, DIY

My weird idea on a Rosh Hashannah take on kugel (I know, it has nothing to do with it, but I wasn’t about to run out for egg noodles), this Quinoa Squash Gratin is delicious and easy to make! Looking back, the quinoa squash mixture would make excellent croquettes. Something to think about for the future!

Here is the original recipe. I ended up using an acorn squash and steaming it instead of the plastic bag trick…not so into using plastic in the microwave. A mix of Monterrey jack and cheddar subbed for the Gruyere and I used 2 eggs in place of the “egg substitute”. I also keep a jar full of toasted bits of bread in the fridge and just whirred some of that in the food processor to make bread crumbs—conventional breadcrumbs or panko would be great as well.

For croquettes, I would mix everything up to the point you’re supposed to put it in the baking dish and then form into patties, roll in breadcrumbs and bake. They would make great appetizers with an herb dipping sauce (parsley, cilantro, garlic, cayene, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil blended in food processor).

Our garden has been treating us quite well this season! In addition to LOTS of lettuce, we’ve been harvesting garlic scapes, chard and a bit of purple kale. This melage was used in this white bean salad of sorts. Heated up some olive oil, added a sliced shallot, added chopped garlic scapes and cooked for a few. I then added the chopped up greens and until they wilted and added a little more than a cup of white beans and a handful of dried cranberries. Salt and pepper to taste and then some toasted almonds thrown in for good measure. Delicious on its own or over a whole grain or lettuce.

We’ve been out of town due to family and came back to some potatoes that needed to be used up rather quickly. I decided that a tortilla would be easy and good for breakfast tomorrow. We ate a lot of tortilla in Spain (being vegetarian and all) and I wanted to recreate it without a ton of olive oil.

Spanish Tortilla

Ingredients:

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (a mandolin did the job for us)

1 medium onion, chopped

salt

5 eggs

To Do:

NOTE: If you’re using a nonstick pan, you won’t need a lot of oil. The idea is to cook the potato and onion together until both become fragrant and cooked through, without browning too much.

Over medium heat, warm up at least 1/4 cup of the oil in a well seasoned pan. Add the potatoes and onions and stir gently. Sprinkle salt over the top, stir and cover. Keep stirring every once in a while until the potatoes are cooked through (they should pierce easily with a fork).

Strain the mixture and save the olive oil!

Whip up the eggs until they are light yellow and foamy.

Clean out the pan, heat over medium heat and then coat with some of the saved olive oil (see step 2).

Combined the eggs with the potato/onion and mix well.

Add the mixture to the pan and set the heat to low.

Once the mixture is set, slide it onto a plate and then flip it back on the pan (bottom side should be on top now).

Cook for a few more minutes – the eggs should be set throughout the pan.

Let it sit for at least a half hour to meld the flavors before serving (warm or cold – DELICIOUS).